Airbrushing method

Step 1

First, I will go to the File menu and select Open to open a photo I would like to edit.

Step 2

In the next steps, I will be duplicating the layer twice and applying two filters to each of the new layers. Before I continue to duplicate the layer, I'm going to use the Lasso tool to draw a selection of the skin and duplicate only that area. This will reduce the amount of pixels to work with and reduce the load on the computer.

Step 3

I will press Ctrl+J to duplicate the layer. I will do this once more so that I have two layers. Now, I will rename the top layer to "High Pass" and the middle layer to "Low Pass".

Step 4

I will work on the Low Pass layer first. In the Layers palette, I will click on the eye beside the High Pass layer to hide the layer and I willselect the Low Pass layer that I will be working on.

Step 5

I will be using the Surface Blur filter. Filter> Blur> Surface Blur. The surface blur filter blurs the image but preserves the edges. The Surface Blur provides two options:

• Radius:
  This setting specifies the size or strength of the blur. Use a higher setting for larger images.
  The Radius option specifies the size of the area sampled for the blur.
• Threshold:
  This setting allows me to define the area to blur.

First, I will set the radius and threshold so that the image becomes blurry but still recognizable. Then, I will lower the Threshold and stop just when the edges become sharp. Now I will adjust the Radius so that the skin is smooth.

Step 6

I’m done with the Low Pass layer. Now I will work on the High Pass layer.That'll restore the tiny details such as the bumps and pores. I will select the layer, I will click on the eye beside the High Pass layer, and change the layer blending mode to Linear Light.

The tiny bumps of the skin is most visible on the neutral tones of the skin and least visible on the dark tones of the skin. To simulate this natural effect, I will add a layer mask that will reduce the visibility of the bumps on the darker tones of the image. I will add a layer mask by clicking the (see below) button

Step 7

I will use the Apply Image tool to apply a copy of the image in the layer mask. Now I have a layer mask that defines and reduces the effect in those dark areas.

Step 8

I'm done with the layer mask, I will click on the thumbnail of the layer (not the layer mask).

Step 9

I will be using the High Pass filter next. The next step will require a lot of precise adjustments, so before I proceed, I will zoom in 100% on somewhere near the skin.

Step 10

Expand the Filter> Other menu and I will select the High Pass filter. In the High Pass filter, I will adjust the Radius in small increments until the skin looks natural.

High Pass retains edge details in the specified radius where sharp colour transitions occur and suppresses the rest of the image. (A radius of 0.1 pixel keeps only edge pixels.) The filter removes low-frequency detail in an image.

Step 11

Now I'll go back and tweak the settings of the layer mask. In the layers palette, I will click on the thumbnail of the layer mask to activate it. Then, I will go to the Image> Adjustments menu and select Brightness/Contrast. In the Brightness/Contrast tool, I will increase the contrast and adjust the brightness so that the bumps on the skin is less visible on the dark areas and more visible on the bright areas.

Step 12

I'm done smoothing the skin, but now the whole image is smooth. I need to use a layer mask to erase the effect from the areas that are not the skin. I will select the top two layers and press Ctrl+G. Then, I will add a layer mask by going into the Layers> Layer Mask menu and selecting Hide All.

Step 13

I should now see back the image the way it originally was without the smooth skin effect. I will be painting the layer mask over the skin. But because this effect is subtle, it may be difficult to see where we have painted over. So before I paint the layer mask, I will add a new layer above the High Pass layer and fill it with the colour red. Then, I will change the opacity of the red layer to 50%.

Step 14

I will select back the Group layer mask by clicking on the black thumbnail in the layers palette. I will select the brush tool and paint over the skin to make the smooth skin effect visible over those areas that I paint. I will start with large diameter and a hardness about 50. Then, I will fill in the tiny spots with a smaller brush.

Step 15

I will delete the red fill layer when I'm done.

Final Results